messmer



Nov. 24, 1931. C A MESSMER, JR Re. 18,260

DIE

Original Filed Oct. 26, 192'? 2 Sheets-Shear l IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY 5 Hnm BY ma auna@ NOV. 24, 1931. Q A MESSMER, JR Re. 18,260

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 DIE Original Filed OCT.. 26, 1927 A Lfwf E n f '5: j

[Nl/EN TOR. ada-u @i 44. a

ATTORNEYS @Jam Ressuecl Nov. 24, 1931*l UNITED STAT-as l Re. 18,260

-PATENT. OFFICE CHARLES A. MEssMER, Jn, or Sfr. LOUIS, MISSOURLAssfIGNoii To BENJAMINW.

. FREEMAN, or CINCINNATI, oHIo ,v Y

DIE

Original No. 1,718,476, dated .Tune 25, 1929, Serial No. 228,748, led'October 26, 1927; Application for reissue med fcetober. 1a, 1930.serial No. 488,478.

This invention relates to dies forcutting or dieing out blanks fromsheet material such as leather, fiber-board, cloth', or the like, andpertains more particularly to dies of thetype used with a cut-out pressfor cutting out ornamental perforations and the like in the fitteduppers of shoes, slippers, and the like.

The cut-out presses used for this purpose usually comprise a verticallyreciprocating head or hammer that descends on the die and a slide tablehaving guide grooves there-` on that co-operate with a block thatdepends from* the underside of the front portion of the die and isslidable on the table so that the die may be shifted from under thehead' towards the operator to facilitate the insertion in or removalfromy the die'of the work or blank that is to be operated on, and'mayagain be shifted back under thehead preparatory to operating the press.The rear portion of the diel when under the headis supported byastationary post on the table, andthe said yrear portion is unsupportedwhen the die is pulled toward the operator into loading or unloadingposition,.thereby affording clearance for the passage over the rear endof the die of the fitted upper whose one side overlies the die and whoseother side underlies the die. Otherwise stated,r the rear end of theform of die used prior to this invention overhangs to project into theinterior of the fitted upper, and the overhanging rear portionv issupported by the stationaryl post on the slide table only when the dieis pushed under the head. Furthermore, a stripper plate that serves,also, as a locating'plate is hinged -to the rear top face of the die andthis plate must be lifted each time an upper is inserted or removed,since, to insert/the upper,` it must be passed in embracing rela tionover the plate prior to passing it; over the rear end lof the die,and'to remove it this procedure must be reversed. Manifestly, theaforesaid awkward and indirect manner of reloading the die requiresconsiderabletime and impedes production. i g

Accordingly, it is an object'of the 'present invention to-provide a d-iefor the purpose set forthV that is so arranged that the uppers maybeinserted therein or removedtherefrom by a shorter, more direct, andmore convenient path than that through which the uppers are applied tothe aforesaid old form of die, thereby simplifying the operation andexpediting production. The perforations are often designed to benon-symmetrical, sothat right and left dies must be used 'respectivelyfor the reversely shaped perforations of the opposite sides of the shoein order to bringthe inside of the upper against theiface of the die.

Accordingly, another object of the invenl tion is to provide a singledie ofthe charac-v ter described that is adapted for cutting thereversely shaped perforations of both A'sides of the fitted upper,thereby avoiding the eX- pense of two separate dies, as has heretoforebeen necessary. for this purpose.

rlh-e aforesaid hinged stripper or locating plate is formed kof sheetsteel and is slightly flexible, and, on account of the horizontalpivotal axis of the'hinges'not being vertical# ly shiftable, the plateYis bent or slightly distorted when 'the' `head ofthe' press descends onit in order to maintainthe plate parallel to the face of the die, thedistortion includ-V ing a slight forward or backward displacement of theplate that bringsl the apertures in theplate out of their correctrelation to the cutting edges ofthe dieblock. v y f- It is accordingly afurtherobjectofthe inventionv to provide a form of hinge for theaforesaid plate which shall 'yield vertically to maintain" thev plateparal'lelto the face of the die when the head of the press descendsthereonV andv thereb prevent anyaccompanying longitudinaly isplacementof the plate with relation to the die.

*Other objects or advantages, more or rless ancillary tothe foregoingwill appear lin the course of the following description of a *pre ferredembodiment of the invention that has been selected for the purpose. ofillustration only and not in a limiting sense.

' In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich like num-` bers of reference denote like parts wherever theyoccur, l

Figure 1 is a-Qperspective view ofthe' die" of this invention. t

Figure 2 is a vertical front-to-rear central sectional view, showing thedie in open position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Figure5;

Figure 4 isa fragmentary sectional view taken on the irregular line 4-4in'Figure 5.

Figure 5vis a plan view of the die as it appears when'closed, a part oftheupper plate ing broken away.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of the same.

The die comprises a base 1, a die block 2, l

a stripper 3, and a locating device 4 to facili` tate the positioning ofthe stock onfthe die, and over the stripper. The base 1 is a sub-vstantially Vrectangular slab of-metal bifurcated or recessed at its rearend to form a pair of arms 5 that straddle a portion of the cut-outpress therebetween. The die block 2 is supported on and spaced from thebase 1 by columns 6,' preferably ofsleeve formation to accommodatetherethrough'thescrews 7 that draw the base 1 and block 2 against theends .of the spacers 6. The die block 2 presentselevated portions 8 onits upper face that operate on .the stock- In theillustratedembodimentthe portions 8 terminate upwardly in-cutting edges 9 thatyareadapted to form ornamental perforations in the stock,y the scrappassing downthrough theV openings 10 that extendthrough thevv blockandare de-` Y lined bythe cuttingedges 9.

' The' stripper-3 preferably'comprises a thin plate or metal sheet 11,having riveted or otherwise suitably attached thereto thedependingfstuds12, that fit slidably in openings 13 in the block 2. Theopenings13lenlarge attheir upper endsrto form sockets 14 for receivingthe expansible springs V15 that are coiled loosely around the studs 12and bear against the underside of the stripper plate 11. The lower endsof.v studs 12 ,are internally screw-threaded to receive screws 16 whoseheads 17 are adaptedto. abutv against the under side 'offtheblock 2 andthereby limit the ascent of the plate3 under the impulsion of thesprings 15. Plate 11 is provided with o enings 18 therethrough toaccommodate tlie portions 8 when the plate descends. i` Y 4 The .rearends of the arms 5 are-provided with screw-threaded openingstherethrough toreceive the externally screw-threaded lower endsjl9ofrsleeves 20,'thatare provided with intermediate annular flanges 21that present shoulders 22 and 23 that are-adapted to react respectivelyagainst the upper face of the base 1 and the lower ends ofthe eX`pansible springs 24, loosely coiled around the sleeves 20. The lower endof each jof the sleeves 20 is larger in internal diameter than the upperend of the sleeves in order to lleave a shoulder 25th'at isradapted tobe enga-ged by the head 26YV of "ascrew'27 screwedinto a tapped hole inthe lower end of a stud 28,

that fits slidably in the upper end of the sleeve 20. The upper end ofeach stud 28 enlarges to form a shoulder 29 against which cated toreceive between prongs 30 the tongues 31 of the studs 32, whose upper4ends 33 are riveted or otherwise suitably secured to y the locatingplate 4. Tongues 31 and prongs 30 are pivotally connected by a pin 34,that passes through they prongs and tongues of each pair of st uds28 and32. Pin 34 is preferably held against longitudinal displacement by meansof'nuts or knobs 35, that lit the 'externally screw-threaded ends 36 ofthe pin 34. Plate 4containsopenings 37 that conform inoutline tostitches or other identifyingcharacters on the fitted upper, and thatserve thereby tolocate the itted upper correctly with relation to theedges 9 ofV the die. Plate 4, also, contains openings 38 that areadapted to register with similar openings 39 in plate 11 when the platesare correctly positioned with relation to one another.

An inverted U-shaped strap 40 .has its eX- tremities 41 attached to therear ends of the straddling portions 5 of the base 1 by means ofk screws42, the intermediate portion v43 of said strap being adapted to passover the aforesaid stationary post of the press and to trip a vsafetydevice thereon. The construction of the die having been fully described,the manner of using it will be readily understood. The base 1 of the diefits slidably in the groove of the table orrbed of the press so that itmay be withdrawn from under the head of the press to a position infrontofthe operator.A Assuming the die-to be in front of the-operatorpreparatory to placing a blank or .itted upperthereon, the operatorlifts plate 4 to the position shown in Figure 2, and places the fittedsleeve upper 44 around one vvof the interiorly projecting tongues 45 ofthe stripper plate 11. It. will be observed that the space .46 betweenthe tongues 45 allows the operator to place his lingers on that portionof the underside of the plate 4 that immediately overlies the saidspace, thereby facilitating the lifting of the plate 4. lW hen the upperhas been so placed,

loo

the pla-te 4 is lowered, and the upper or blank 44 is shifted untilrtheappropriate locating characters thereon,fsuch, for instance, as a lineof stitchin or the edge of an overlaid A portion follow t e outline ofthe openings 18 in the plate 11.'A The operator then presses .the plate4toward' the tongue 39 between his fingers, therebyV clamping the upperbetween Y the plates 4 and 11, and then pushes' the die untilthe. upperhas beendied-ouh the `scrap descending through thefopenings in the diethat laredeined by the edges 9.y On the: up-l rises under the impulsionof the sprin s 15- and also, `by reason of the expansible e orts f t fesprings 24. The die isthen Withdrawn from its position under theheadof` the press and thek plate 4 is lifted, andthe blank or upperremoved,.and placed on the other side of the die to die out the oppositesides of the shoe, the foregoing cycle of operations being, of course,then repeated.

It will be observed that the block 2 overhangs the spacers 6 so that itcan be straddled by the itted upper, and that the upper can be appliedto the die and around an interiorly projected tongue 45 much morequickly and with less manipulation than it can over the stripper plateand then back over the posteriorly projected portion of the dieshitherto in use. Furthermore, the upper can be shifted through a widerrange of positions on the present die than on the older forms of die,because the present die oiers less obstruction.

It will, also, be observed that the single die illustrated is capable.of cutting the reversely shaped perforations of both sides of theupper, thereby avoiding the expense of two separate dies, one sideof theshoe upper being held between the plate 4 and one of the tongues 45 andcut by the forming means 8 adjacent to the said tongues, after which theother side of the shoe is held against the other tongue 45 andr cut bythe reversely shaped forming means 8 adjacent thereto.

Attention is further directed to the fact that the plate 4 can not bedistorted and shifted inadvertently forward or backward, such distortionbeing prevented by reason of the vertical shiftability of the hingesunder the pressure of the head of the press, thereby insuring at alltimes the proper lateral positioning of the locating plate or mask 4with relation to the die block 2.

The pin 34 insures the alignment of the pivotal axis of each hinge postwith that of the other, and the pin may be easily removed to detachplate 4 from the die by unscrewing the nuts 35.

Should the die be accidentally dropped on the Hoor or otherwise abused,any resulting dislocation of plate 4 with relation to the cutting edgesof the die may be detected by reason of the fact that holes 38 in plate4 would not in that event register with the holes 39 in plate 11. n

Having thus fully described this invention, I hereby reserve the benefitof all changes in form, arrangement, order, or use of parts, as it isevident that many minor changes may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.

- I-claim: y

1. In a. diev unit having a basev member, a die block carried thereby,and a work locatin member mounted in hinged relation to said base; asupport for said member comprising a pair of posts connecting thelocating member to the base member, each of said posts comprising a pairof pivotally connected studs, one of which is rigidly attached, to oneof the members, and the other of which is slidably connected to theother of said members so as to be movable transversely thereto, andresilient means interposed between said last-mentioned elements wherebysaid memberszare yieldingly spaced apart 2.111 a die; unit havinga basemember, a diel block carried thereby, and a work locating plate for theunit; a support for said. plate comprising a pair of posts connectingsaid base member. and plate, each of said posts comprising a pair ofstuds, one of which is attached tosaid basemember yandthe other of whichis connected to said plate, a single pin passing through-thefourstudsand pivotally connecting together eachpair of studs thatformera .respective post, and means permitting vertical movement ofVsaid plate.

3. In a die unit having a base member, a die blockyand a worklocatingpl'ate for the unit, a 'support'r for said'plate comprising kapair of posts connecting saird base memberl andplate,each of saidpostscomprisinga pair of studs, eachstud of said pair of studs beingconnected to a respective one of said members, a single pin passingthrough the four studs and pivotally connecting together each pair ofstuds that form a respective post, the said pin having enlargements oneither end to prevent longitudinal, displacement thereof, one, at least,of the said enlargements being detachable to permit the withdrawal ofsaid pin from said studs and means permitting vertical movement of saidplate.

4. In a die unit having a base member, la die block carried thereby, anda Work locating plate for the unit, a support yfor said plate comprisingstuds rising vertically from the rear of said base member, meanshingedly connecting said plate lto said studs, and resilient meansassociated with said studs effective to permit vertical movement of saidlocating plate thereby to maintain the same parallel to the face of saiddie block.k

5. In a die unit having a base member, a die block carried thereby, anda work locating plate for the unit, al supportfor said plate comprisingstuds extending from the rear of said base member,studs'hingedlyconnected to said first-named studs, means connecting said plate to.said rsecond named studs, vand resilient means encircling `saidfirst-named studs 'effective to permit vertical movement of saidlocating plate thereby to maintain the same parallel tothe face of 'saiddie block during operation et sai-d die. l

die block carried thereby, and a work locatf 6. In a die unit having abase member, a

ing plate for the unit, a support for said late comprising sleevesextending upwardly rom the rear of said base gmember, studs -mounted in'said sleeves, means connecting said plate to said studs for angularmovement relative to said block, and resilient means associated withsaid studs and cooperating with the same and said slee-ves to permitvertical movement of said locating plate to maintain the sameparallel tothe face of said die blockv durin the operation of said die.

7. E die unit for use in a shoe ornamenting machine comprising incombination, a base, spaced pillars extending from f said Y basecarrying a die block having registered openings therein to permit thepassage oi chips into the space between said pillars; work sup'-Vporting means, a gauge plate effective to locate vwork with respect tosaid supporting means, and resilient means including additional pillarsextending from said base, to mount said plate independently of said dieblock for yielding movement relative to saidwork supporting meansandnormal to the' plane of said die block. Y f f 8. A die unit for use in ashoeornamenting machine comprising in combination, a base, spacedpillars extending from said base lcarrying a die block having registeredopenings therein to permit the passage of chips into the space betweensaid pillars, work supporting means, and a locatingv plate and means onsaid base to mount said plate for movement relative to said worksupporting means and normal to the plane ofsaid` die block, said meansincluding a pivotal connection to said plate whereby the plate may bemoved angularly with respect to said die block. c

. 9. A die unit for use in a shoe ornamentingy machine comprising incombination, a base, spaced pillars extending from said base carrying adie block having registered openings therein to permit lthe passage ofchips into the space between said pillars,a stripper rmounted on saidblock, a locating plate and means resilientlymounting said plateindependently of said die block for movement to and from andin a planenormal to the-plane of said die block.

l0. A die unit for use in a shoe ornament-Y ing machine comprising incombination, a base, spaced pillars extending from said base carrying adie block having openings therein to permit the 'passage of chips vintothe` spacebetween said illars, said pillars being substantially cylinrical in section,ay work structure is movable into positiontozbe ac-

